Alice Gardner submits-

Postrace…

JUNE 30, 2026 BY ANGEL WINGS WELLNESS

We live in a world where it often feels like we’re constantly being evaluated. Are we successful enough? Attractive enough? Productive enough? Smart enough? Everywhere we turn, there are expectations to meet and comparisons to make.

Then you step into a pasture with a horse.

And suddenly, none of that matters.

Horses don’t care what you do for a living. They don’t care how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, or whether you’re wearing designer clothes or muddy boots. They don’t know how many followers you have on social media or whether you’ve had a bad week.

They simply meet you where you are.

That may be one of the greatest gifts horses have to offer.

PeaceLoveHorse.com Call or text to inquire 978-985-4592

JUNE 29, 2026 ~ GREATER CAPE ANN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Date and Time:
Saturday Jul 18, 2026
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT

Location:
Stage Fort Park
24 Hough Avenue
Gloucester, MA 01930

Fees/Admission:
Advance Purchase General Admission – $45
At the Door General Admission – $50
Designated Driver – $10
Click here to purchase tickets: blackburnbrewfest.com

Website:
blackburnbrewfest.com

Contact Information:
Call 978-283-1601
Send Email

Blackburn Brew Fest 2026:
The current list of sponsors is:

Growler:

Discover Gloucester

Ocean Breeze Cultivators

Reverie 73

Renewal by Andersen

Cape Ann Savings

Pint:

BankGloucester

Cape Ann Motor Inn

Flight 

Burgin Platner Insurance

Cape Ann Lanes/Laneside Pub & Brewery

In Kind:

Streamography

Brooks Gibson Company

Description:
The Greater Cape Ann Chamber is pleased to announce the return of the Blackburn Brew Festival on Saturday, July 18th (RAIN or SHINE) at Stage Fort Park! Over 20 breweries will be convening from Cape Ann, the North Shore, and across New England to showcase their best brews to attendees from far and wide. The event will also offer live music, local food trucks and lawn games all while located at Gloucester’s historic waterfront park.

The event will also be supporting a good cause as a portion of the proceeds will support local non-profits through the Cape Ann Community Foundation, an organization established by the Chamber to award grants for projects supporting educational, social service, recreational and economic initiatives throughout the Cape Ann Community.

PLEASE NOTE: This event is 21+

For breweries interested in participating, please contact Sam Bevins at sam@capeannchamber.com.

Celebrate Independence Day with one of our customer favorites!

🎆🦞 $19.99 + tax Lobster Roll served with chips & pickles
⏰ Open Today: 11 AM – 9 PM

Whether you’re heading to the beach, watching fireworks, or spending time with family and friends, let us take care of lunch or dinner!

📍 Stop by and celebrate with us!
Excludes online orders.

Wishing everyone a safe, fun, and happy Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙🇺🇸

I used the handy Sawyer Free Library’s Cape Ann History Digital Resources link to search past newspapers for information on how Cape Ann and Gloucester celebrated historic July 4th anniversaries in 1876, 1926 and 1976. It’s always a fascinating step into the past. Here are some examples.

JULY 2, 2026 ~ MICHAELDEKOSTER

The Shipyard is pulling out all the stops to make sure you (and your kids, and your family) have a great summer. Their calendar is full of fun and unique experiences for all. I can’t remember a better line up if activities…

You absolutely have to visit this preserved historic site on the shores that launched over 4000 (and counting) ships for well over 350 (and counting) years. It doesn’t get more authentic than that!  Learn from the best in the shadows of giants and make your own history today. These are only some of the fun things happening in education. Check out the rest at

https://www.essexshipbuilding.org/

Join us on Saturday, July 11th from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM as Main Street transforms into a massive celebration filled with local flavor. Bring the whole family down for an unforgettable night under the summer sky!
Here is what you can look forward to:
🎤 Live music across 3 separate street stages
🤸 Street performances from headline act The Red Trousers
💃 A special performance by the Cape Ann Dancers
🍔 Incredible food from local restaurants and food trucks
🎨 Face painting, local shopping, non-profit booths, and fun activities for all ages

📍 Where: Main Street (Closed to traffic from Pleasant St. to Washington St.)
🎟️ Admission: Completely FREE for the public!

Streets close for setup at 5:00 PM, and the fun starts at 6:00 PM. Tag your party crew in the comments and let us know what you’re hitting first! 👇

Get the full event timeline and details here: https://bit.ly/BlockParty-July11

Topping…

CAPE ANN COLLECTORS is curating new work by Theresa Bernstein with reproductions from Milton Avery’s catalog sketchbooks. Our summer show, Bernstein/Avery: Discovery Made Visible, opening Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19, 1-5 p.m., is a dazzling collection documenting an intriguing record of an earlier era in Gloucester. Both artists’ courageous spirits, attracting reverent admirers and mentees, are on view.

Theresa Bernstein (1890-2002) and Milton Avery (1886-1965) ran in the same modernist circles, summering in the same art colonies and gathering at Bernstein and husband William Meyerowitz’s home in East Gloucester – steps away from Good Harbor Beach. All three modernists walked away from abstraction, capturing an intimacy where realism and abstraction intersect – observed reality.

Bernstein sketched scenes quickly, preferring to fill in details for later works with faces of friends and family. Sketches exploded as she pursued contemporary urban life, human activity and movement. Avery filled sketchbooks daily, further developing “eye-and-hand” coordination while maintaining the immediacy of his subject. His reliance on sketches, often making quick notations of color, made art an inseparable part of daily life. Sally Michel Avery, Milton’s wife, commented that summers were “devoted to works on paper.”

Bernstein and Avery were passionately driven by both the natural world and the human figure – all in full view on Cape Ann. Avery/Bernstein Sketchbooks: Discovery Made Visible, opening July 18-19, is running Saturdays through August 8. Stop by to see for yourself – discoveries made visible!

Molly, Janet and Annie

capeanncollectors.com

www.Gruppegallery.com

Ken Tashjy submits- First photo is of a jelly fish on Oak Cove on Rocky Neck. That is a 11.5 sneakers giving it some scale. Next photos are of artist Robert Gruppe painting at Oak Cove. “One of Gloucester’s Masters back at work.”

🦞 Lobster Roll – Just $19.99 + tax
Served with chips & pickles for the perfect summer meal!

🍕 Pizza Deal
Buy ANY 16” Pizza and get a second 16” Pizza for HALF PRICE! 🙌
Limit of One Pizza Special per Customer

⏰ Open Daily: 11 AM – 9 PM

Bring your family, grab your friends, or order dinner for the whole crew—we’ve got you covered!

Excludes gluten-free crusts.
Excludes online orders.

📍 See you at Surfside! 🌊🍕🦞

Last year, we made the mistake of waiting until the end of the season to have breakfast at the Oceanfront Cafe at the Atlantis on Atlantic Road. We promised ourselves we wouldn’t make that mistake again! A recent weekday morning provided a great opportunity to fulfill our promise to ourselves. It was kind of a bleak morning but inside the cafe was friendly and bright. Jim ordered fishcakes and I got the country breakfast (I really wanted that cheddar biscuit!). They were served up efficiently and were as delicious as I was expecting. It was a quiet morning there but clearly there were some regulars in attendance being fussed over by the amiable staff. We were seated by the front window, allowing us the benefit of the Oceanfront in the cafe’s name. We enjoyed our experience very much and expect to return sometime before October this year!